One year ago, Americans watched as scenes unlike any witnessed in the U.S. in centuries unfolded at the Capitol.
Hundreds of rioters in support of then-President Donald Trump laid siege on the building as Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election — breaching police lines, scaling walls, shattering windows, breaking into the U.S. Senate chamber and reaching the doors of the U.S. House chamber as lawmakers evacuated.
The Jan. 6, 2021, attack left multiple people dead and many others injured.
An AP-NORC poll released Tuesday, Jan. 4, asked respondents to reflect on the events at the Capitol about a year later, including on who holds responsibility and how violent they considered the attack. It also asked about their opinions on the future of an investigation into the insurrection.
The poll was conducted Dec. 2-7 and included 1,089 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 points.
Who holds responsibility
Shortly before the attack, Trump held a rally near the White House. He touted false claims that the election was fraudulent and stolen from him — which he and some of his allies had repeated in the aftermath of then-President-elect Joe Biden’s win — and encouraged his supporters to “be strong” and march on Capitol Hill.
In the aftermath of the insurrection, lawmakers from both parties, at least in part, pinned the riot on Trump’s rhetoric surrounding the election. Democratic lawmakers later introduced an article of impeachment against Trump, and the House voted to impeach him for a second time. He was later acquitted of the charge in the Senate.
The poll found that a majority of respondents also believe Trump holds at least some responsibility for the attack.
Forty-six percent said they believe he holds a “great deal,” 11% said he holds “quite a bit,” and 13% said he holds a “moderate amount.” Meanwhile, 12% said he holds “only a little,” and 17% said he holds “none at all.”
The findings were widely divided among party lines. While 87% of Democrats said Trump holds a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility, 22% of Republicans and 51% of independents said the same.
“Last January, 50% of all Americans and 90% of Democrats said Trump had a great deal or quite a bit of blame for the attack by a group of his supporters,” a news release about the poll said. “At that time, 71% of Republicans said he had little or no responsibility.”
Respondents in the recent poll placed more blame on the people who participated in the riot: Sixty-two percent said they hold a “great deal” of responsibility, 18% said they hold “quite a bit,” and 11% said they hold a “moderate amount.” Six percent said they hold “only a little” responsibility, while 2% said they hold “none at all.”
When lawmakers reconvened on the evening of Jan. 6 after the attack, 147 Republicans voted against certifying the results of the Electoral College vote. Prior to the insurrection, some Republicans had cast doubt on the results of the election or refused to publicly acknowledge Biden’s victory.
Respondents in the poll also pinned some blame on Republicans in Congress. Twenty-two percent said they hold a “great deal” of responsibility, 19% said they hold “quite a bit”, and 25% said they hold a “moderate amount.” But 16% said they hold “only a little,” and an additional 16% said they hold none.
Fewer respondents put blame on Democrats in Congress. Twelve percent said they hold a “great deal” of responsibility, 10% said they hold “quite a bit,” and 22% said they hold a “moderate amount.” An additional 23% and 32% said they hold “only a little” or none, respectively.
Findings on the responsibility members of Congress hold were largely divided along partisan lines.
Opinions on the attack and investigation
During Trump’s impeachment trial, lawmakers showed never-before-seen footage of scenes from the attack.
Rioters were seen beating a police officer, smashing through windows and pouring into the building with baseball bats and riot shields. The footage also showed lawmakers narrowly missing encounters with the mob, evacuating and barricading themselves.
Sixty-four percent of respondents in the poll said the events at the Capitol were “extremely” or “very” violent. An additional 22% said they were “somewhat” violent, and 14% said they were “not very” or “not at all” violent.
Democrats were much more likely than Republicans to say the events were “extremely” or “very” violent, the poll found: 87% compared with 39%.
A majority of respondents, 71%, also said they think Congress should continue its investigation into the insurrection while 28% said they do not. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to be in favor of the investigation: 96% compared with 41%, respectively.
A House select committee’s investigation into the events seems to be ”ramping up,” CNBC reported. It’s preparing to hold pubic hearings on its findings, with more subpoenas possible.
Additionally, the Justice Department is still looking for people involved in the riot, according to CNBC. Hundreds of people involved in the attack have already been arrested, The New York Times reports.
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